The good news is that there is help for smokers who are thinking of quitting. Using stop-smoking medicine or counseling can double your changes of quitting for good. Many health insurance plans cover these FDA-approved medicines and counseling.

MassHealth and Commonwealth Care do. It is important to talk to your doctor to find out what will work best for you. In addition, smokers can access free counseling and advice to help them stop by calling 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669).

The $1 increase on the price of a pack of cigarettes will prevent 27,000 Massachusetts young people from becoming addicted to tobacco. Also, it will motivate 25,000 smokers in Massachusetts to quit and help many more to cut down on the amount they smoke.

It is true that you can only quit when you are ready to quit, but history tells us that price matters when it comes to deciding when to quit. As an ex-smoker myself I know that this is true.

This price increase can save over 15,000 Massachusetts residents from a premature smoking-caused death. Those lives are very precious to all of us. If the tax can do that, it is more than worth it.